The Wire - season two, part 1

Beware of Greeks bearing gifts.
– Old, probably wise proverb.*


I have finished The Wire season 2. There will be analysis – and it will be split in two. Because somewhere along the way it grew, and became huge. The Wire masks itself as a cop-show. In truth it’s more like a novel told through audio-visual means. queenofthorns said in a comment that The Wire isn’t just about a group of police officers working a case, it’s a story about a city, and the decay of this city. I wholeheartedly agree. I am also head over heals in love with this show. And when I love I overanalyze.


One thing that struck me in regards to season two was the undercurrent of history and change that defined the dockside. So this post is about that, and the general squeeing will follow in another post.

The presence of history : I owe my soul to the company store

In many ways it starts with a glass window. Frank Sobotka has paid for a stain glass window depicting life and work on the docks. But he hasn’t just paid for a window; he has paid for a monument. He has paid for something that will mark the stevedores place in history, and that will prevent a piece of their and his history to be forgotten. His only problem is that he has paid for it with dirty money.

( do you have a union card? )

The Wire - season two, part 1

Beware of Greeks bearing gifts.
– Old, probably wise proverb.*


I have finished The Wire season 2. There will be analysis – and it will be split in two. Because somewhere along the way it grew, and became huge. The Wire masks itself as a cop-show. In truth it’s more like a novel told through audio-visual means. queenofthorns said in a comment that The Wire isn’t just about a group of police officers working a case, it’s a story about a city, and the decay of this city. I wholeheartedly agree. I am also head over heals in love with this show. And when I love I overanalyze.


One thing that struck me in regards to season two was the undercurrent of history and change that defined the dockside. So this post is about that, and the general squeeing will follow in another post.

The presence of history : I owe my soul to the company store

In many ways it starts with a glass window. Frank Sobotka has paid for a stain glass window depicting life and work on the docks. But he hasn’t just paid for a window; he has paid for a monument. He has paid for something that will mark the stevedores place in history, and that will prevent a piece of their and his history to be forgotten. His only problem is that he has paid for it with dirty money.

( do you have a union card? )